STEMskiller: Skill Set Map for Mentors of Early Career Researchers

CAREER MANAGEMENT: Placement and job searching/seeking

[Academic positions]

Qualifications/skills documentation and verification

Definition:

When applying for positions, academic or in the private sector, HR departments may choose to verify qualifications, skills, and perhaps (depending on institutional rules) conduct a criminal/civil background check, reference check, credit check, or drug test. For academic positions, it may be necessary to provide official copies of university transcripts for previous degrees, language levels (e.g.,TOEFL, IELTS), standardized tests (U.S., Graduate Records Exam [GRE] and/or specialized exams [Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics], Medical College Admissions Test [MCAT]), specialized qualifications, or full-text versions of prior theses. When in doubt about any requirements, the mentee should contact the person managing applications for a position. Online badges and certifications are typically (as of July 2020) not as important in the academic setting as official university documents.

Useful resources on Qualifications documentation and verification:

Human Resources Pre Employment Screening. (2020). https://www.process.st/checklist/human-resources-pre-employment-screening/ 

Sample checklist describing the “typical” private sector hiring screening process. Useful for those who have never interviewed for private sector positions in understanding the standardized processes they will encounter.

Loyola University of Chicago Human Resources. (2020). Faculty Candidate Review Guide. https://www.luc.edu/hr/recruitmentguide_fac_candidatereview.shtml

Screening candidates, sample interview questions, interview questions to avoid, sample faculty interview evaluation form, sample reference check questions, job and salary offer.

The University of Alberta Human Resource Services. (2020). Evaluating Candidates and Checking References. https://www.ualberta.ca/human-resource-services/hiring/recruitment-and-advertising/recruiting-academic-staff/recruitment-process-for-academic-staff/evaluating-candidates-and-checking-references.html. Also: Screening Applications. https://www.ualberta.ca/human-resource-services/hiring/recruitment-and-advertising/recruiting-academic-staff/recruitment-process-for-academic-staff/screening-applications.html

Evaluating Candidates includes: Interview Assessments, Evaluating Candidates, Making the Selection Decision, and Checking References. Screening includes a description of how to create short-list criteria. 

Tags: CompQ

Peer Review: None

Table of contents:

3.4. Placement and job searching/seeking


3.4.1. Non-academic positions

3.4.2. Academic positions


3.4.2.1. Applying for academic jobs
3.4.2.2. CVs and cover letters
3.4.2.3. Application essays and other (teaching, research) statements
3.4.2.4. Interview techniques for academic positions
3.4.2.5. Pitch training in preparation for interviews
3.4.2.6. Salary negotiation


3.4.2.7. Qualifications/skills documentation and verification
3.4.2.8. Skills gap identification and development


3.4.3. Leaving academia: career planning for doctoral candidates

Author: Stephanie Krueger

Peer Reviewer(s): None

Last Updated: October 28, 2021